Srpska Republika News Agency (SRNA), 98-02-27

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From: The Serbian Unity Congress Server at http://www.suc.org

FEB. 27, 1998 DAY

NEWS REVIEW, REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

SARAJEVO - The President of RS National Assembly Dragan Kalinic received 11 extraordinary and plenipotentiary B&H ambassadors proposed by RS and informed them about current issues of the Assembly's work in RS. Kalinic underlined the need for establishing close relations with parliamentary's representatives of countries in which B&H has its diplomatic mission and for cooperation between B&H Parliamentary Assembly and RS and FB&H Assemblies.

SARAJEVO - The President of the RS Assembly Dragan Kalinic received in a farewell visit a special UNICEF representative for former Yugoslavia Thomas McDermott. President Kalinic thanked the high representative for his devoted and impartial work on protection of children in war and pointed out on the immense influence of the humanitarian activities and social and medicine help of the UNICEF to the RS people.

SARAJEVO - Coordinating Board of the Sarajevo-Romanija Municipalities, Birac and Hercegovina demands from the RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik that in the seven days time meet with representatives of these municipalities. At the meeting they would presented their stances " regarding problems created by unreasonable and rapid measures of the Government". " It would be a chance for us to determine measures of Government by which the vital needs of these regions would be respected and secured equal development of RS and strategical interests of RS" - is said in an open letter forwarded to the RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik from the last night's session held in Pale. A letter of the same context has been sent to the chairman of Presidency of Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) Aleksa Buha and president of Serbian Radical Party (SRS) Nikola Poplasen, in order for them to be able to "take responsibility concerning these questions".

BANJALUKA - The IPTF spokesman for Banjaluka and Bihac Alum Roberts stated that "by warrant of the Hague war crimes tribunal's prosecutor search of three public buildings is in progress in Banjaluka". Roberts did not said what buildings had been searched, but emphasised that this action has nothing to do with persons indicted with alleged war crimes, "but is linked with investigations and on-going processes of the Hague war crimes tribunal". According to him, IPTF and SFOR are carrying out this operation in cooperation with local police and RS authorities. Results of one day's search will be revealed to the public at a press-conference scheduled for 3,00 pm.

BANJALUKA - The president of Banjaluka's City Assembly Djordje Umicevic condemned an utmost unbecoming and arrogant intrusion of the War crimes tribunal's representatives and IPTF's members into the Assembly's building. "In accordance with previous agreement of RS Government I have allowed them to enter the building and check everything they are interested in, but in my cabinet they started to behave in utmost unacceptable and rude manner" - Umicevic explained to reporters after he had interrupted today's session of the City Parliament. According to him, in Cabinet were only personal things and "there was no need for this kind of conduct, especially regarding the fact that RS authorities expressed readiness to cooperate with Hague war crimes tribunal".

SARAJEVO - The OHR spokesman Simon Haselock confirmed at a press-- conference that OHR had influenced on the FB&H Government to deliver a bill on annulling of the former Law on abandoned apartments to the federal parliament. "If we had not influenced on the FB&H authorities, the anti- Dayton law on apartments would have been passed already" - Haselock said in a statement for SRNA and warned that OHR would continue to urge the federal parliament to pass the new law on abandoned property in accordance with Bonn conference's conclusions and Annex 7 of the Dayton agreement.

SARAJEVO - The UN spokesman Alexander Ivanko confirmed at a regular press- conference in Sarajevo that for a quite long time there had been talks about a group of people from Srebrenica detained in house of correction in Sremska Mitrovica and added that "he hopes the UN officials will bring up a question with Yugoslav high officials". The B&H Ambassador with UN Mohammed Sacirbey accused Yugoslav authorities that they were holding in Sremska Mitrovica's prison between 40-50 men from Srebrenica and the International Red Cross has nor been informed about that - Sacirbey said at Sarajevo's television last night.

HAGUE - Fifty-years-old Simo Zaric - Solaja from Samac, who had surrendered himself to the Hague war crimes tribunal, appearing before the Tribunal for the first time, he only listened to the indictment and pledged not guilty. The Hague War Crimes Tribunal indicted Zaric together with 5 alleged collaborators - Miroslav Tadic, Milan Simic, Blagoje Simic and Slobodan Simic that in the region of Samac for participating in "terror campaign" against Croats and Muslim, which had been conducted by "Serbian military and para-military formations".

VIENNA - Supporting main human rights is legislative and does not represent interfering in internal affairs of a country - a delegate of the National Party and former Austrian Foreign Affairs Minister Aloise Mock assessed, demanding from the international community and the international organisations to intervene because of "explosive situation" in Kosmet. In yesterday's promise to Austrian Parliament Aloise Mock appealed "on all responsible in the sector of foreign policy" to act in Kosmet for the sake of finding the solution for that problem, before "we stand above the graves of the dead and killed and repent again ".

SARAJEVO - The Deputy International Community High Representative for B&H Jacques Klein accused Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) in B&H for not cooperating with the international community - AFP reports. " Lack of cooperation and permanent blockades by HDZ became a problem for the international community" - Klein warned in an interview with the Muslim paper "Dnevni avaz" and warned that " the same thing which happened with SDS" could happen to this party. He expressed hope that "elections in September would help to find better leaders who would have more clear picture of situation".

BANJALUKA - During first two days, Fair of Banjaluka's economy held in "Skenderija" in Sarajevo has been visited by 12,000 people - Zeljko Kopanja, the director of "Nezavisne novine" from Banjaluka, which are organiser of this Fair together with "Vecernje novine" from Sarajevo, stated.

FEB. 27, 1998 EVENING

BANJALUKA - The board members of City Assembly of Banjaluka interrupted the session of the city parliament as a sign of protest because of search of public buildings in the town, which, as ordered by prosecutors of the Hague war crimes tribunal, are being conducted by SFOR and IPTF in the presence of the local police. The president of City Assmebly Djordje Umicevic condemned this extremely unbecoming and arrogant intrusion of the members of the Tribunal and IPTF into the Assembly's building.

BANJALUKA - The IPTF spokesman for Banjaluka and Bihac Alun Roberts is pleased with the level of cooperation of the local Banjaluka's authority with members of the Hague war crimes tribunal during today's "operation of search" in this town. Roberts said at an early press-conference that the operation was still in progress and the public would be informed about its results promptly.

BANJALUKA - Serbian Party of Krajina and Posavina (SSKiP) assessed as "inadmissible and political very harmful" the act of members of the War crimes tribunal, who entered the building of Banjaluka's City Assembly and some other buildings as well "intending to confiscate compromising documentation".

SARAJEVO - The president of Republican Board of RS Red Cross Ljiljana Zelen - Karadzic assessed that the letter of the International Red Cross (MKCK) and International Federation of the Red Cross (CK) and Red and Half-Moon, demanding forming of Provisional Coordinating Committee (PKK) was "inappropriate and directive". PKK, as its planners have conceived, should prepare a draft of a statute "of national society of B&H Red Cross" and form general assembly which would adopt the statute, and that would practically mean merging of RS Red Cross (CKRS) with CKB&H.

BANJALUKA - The regular air traffic between RS and FR Yugoslavia (FRY) will be opened on March 2 - was confirmed to SRNA in the Office of Banjaluka's airport. According to words of the director of Airport Milanko Kovacevic, the Office for Air Transportation of B&H (DCA) and Yugoslavian Air Transportation (JAT) reached an agreement, by which JAT obtained a clearance to organise civilian air transportation on line Banjaluka - Beograd and vice versa in following six months.

BRCKO - The border crossing between Croatia and RS at the Bridge on Sava in Brcko will be closed for traffic on Saturday and Sunday for 10-12 hours - SRNA learns in the Police Station of Brcko. It has been announced to the local police that "SFOR's soldiers, stationed in the base McGraver in Brcko, will use the bridge for their needs during that period of time".

BIJELJINA - The RS Prime Minister Milorad Dodik talked in Bijeljina with the bishoup of Zvornik and Tuzla Mr. Vasilije about relations between the Church and RS organs, emphasising that "RS Government will give full support to the Church as an institution and organisation". "This is an opportunity, as the president of the Government and on my own behalf to express the full support to the Church as an organisation and institution as well as need for the Government to bear in mind everything that would make easier and possible the work of the Church", Dodik said for SRNA after the talks with the bishoup had been concluded.

SARAJEVO - For the sake of solving the demands of paying out of debts made by the former Government, all creditors are called to deliver their claims to the RS Ministry of Finance in Banjaluka, the street Vuk Karadzic 4, before March 6 - has been announced from the Ministry.

LONDON - The British Minister of Foreign Affairs Robin Cook will visit B&H on March 3 and 4 - SRNA learns in Foreign Office. "Cook will visit Banjaluka and Sarajevo where he will meet the members of governments and the opposition" - is being claimed in Foreign Office. They are also stressing that the chief of British diplomacy intends to "continue with the pressure" on both RS and Muslim-Croat federation - in order to observe the Dayton peace accord.

BANJALUKA - The first vice-president of Presidency of Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) Dragan Cavic expressed concerned that the search action of the party's premises in Banjaluka conducted by representatives of the Hague war crimes tribunal could take shape of campaign against SDS. "If that happened, then whole Serbian people and all Serbian parties would be accused" - Cavic emphasised at an early press-conference held in Banjaluka in reference to today's action conducted by members of the Tribunal in cooperation with IPTF, SFOR and local police.

NOVI SAD - The spokesman of Belgrade's UNHCR Office Muons Nouberg expects that 50,000 refugees would return from FRY to B&H before the summer. "We expect 200,000 persons, including displaced persons in B&H, to return to their pre-war homes until the end of the year" - Niberg stated for "Nedeljni Dnevnik" from Novi Sad.

MOSTAR - The 13th session of the Assembly of district of Herzegovina and Neretva has been interrupted after Croat and Muslim representatives had not been able to agree on offered Bill on the District's Agency for Privatisation, i.e. about expressing opinions on that proposal at today's session.

/end/

From the Serbian Unity Congress Server at http://www.suc.org

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